The following are notes from the last wine dinner my friend Heather hosted. If you don’t give a rat’s ass about wine, you don’t care. So don’t bother.
As Bacchus Smiles From The Heavens…
There is nothing like good food, good wine, and a bad girl
~ Chinese Proverb
Dr. “L” Riesling 2006
Light, bright, and refreshing, Riesling is ostensibly known as “adult lemonade.” The Dr. Loosen (loh-zen) vineyards are organic, which allows the grape to develop to it’s full potential, and come to you unscathed by technological meddling. The vineyard is situated along the banks of Mosel, lending cool but voluptuous environs for the piquant, acidic grapes. Nose – peach, apple, orange, slate, melon, slight floral.
Amuse Bouche: spring pea pancake, house cured gravlox
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Domaine Wachau Gruner Veltliner 2005
Gruner Veltliner is a little known grape that has been gaining esteem over the past few years and is finally giving Austria a credible name in wine production. This particular wine features “federspiel” on the label (a measure of the ripeness of the grape when harvested) and “terrassen” (meaning the grapes are sourced from many different terraced vineyards.) Nose – white pepper, mineral, citrus, tobacco, clove, white plum.
First Course: celery root veloute, poached egg
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Domaine Berrod Fleurie 2005
Gamay is my favorite Spring ingress, made to be drunk young and ripe, this grape echoes the fresh, damp scent of new things growing. It’s an oft-misunderstood grape, generally seen as bumbling next to Pinot Noir’s elegance – yet it maintains similar qualities. Historically, it saved village growers from poverty during the Black Death in France in the 1360′s, because it ripened faster and was much less finicky than Pinot Noir. 2005 is noted as an exceptional year for gamays. Nose – cherry, violet, banana, wet earth, pomegranate, raspberry, black currant.
Second Course: charred sushi grade tuna, grilled escargot, braised fennel
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Chateau Routas Cyrano Syrah 2003
Syrah is the milder, French cousin of Shiraz. While many use the names interchangeably, I find Syrah to be less tannic with a more sophisticated nose – likely due to terroir. This particular Syrah was named after Cyrano De Bergerac, a French writer and duellist, whose life story was satirized – mostly reducing him to a swashbuckler with a prominent nose. As such, we can expect a robust and venerable bouquet, undoubtedly Chateau Routas’ aim. Nose – thyme, rosemary, lavender, black pepper, balsam wood, black cherries, leather, plum, red licorice.
Third Course: roasted leg of Spring lamb, cous cous, mint gremolata
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Yalumba Viognier Botrytis 2005
Dessert: raspberry flan
